This is a double-debut of sorts, the initial release on a new label by the Elisabeth Vatn/Steffen Horn piano duo, a pair of young pianists making its first recording together. Messiaen’s seven-part cycle Visions de l’Amen demands Lisztian virtuosity, more than average stamina, pinpoint rhythmic accuracy, a huge dynamic palette, and, above all, unswerving commitment to the composer’s stained-glass sound world and spiritual aesthetic. Beyond question, these young pianists are talented, solid, and communicative artists who project this difficult music with fluency and ease. Yet I miss the dynamic surges that set exultant fires under the music’s climactic sections. Conversely, the decorative chording in the quiet sections is overaccented rather than spun out in haunting, disembodied lines. In short, you hear the notes but don’t always perceive the shapes that bind them. The impactive recording highlights instances of kerploppy ensemble that perhaps wouldn’t register with more distant miking. Which of the pianists plays the second piano part? I ask because the extended solo section in “Amen du désir’s” (one of Messiaen’s tawdriest inspirations) comes off with unusual grace. My favorite Visions de l’Amen remains the magisterial Peter Serkin/Yuji Takahashi version (RCA), followed by Argerich/Rabinowitch (EMI) and the extraordinarily vibrant and subjective 1962 recording with Messiaen and his wife Yvonne Loriod (Ades). While the present release occupies a place several notches below the competition, I hope to hear more of this promising young piano duo.
